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Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeCommentaryOp-edWith All the Political 'Toe-Stepping,' JFL Needs a 'Podiatrist'

With All the Political ‘Toe-Stepping,’ JFL Needs a ‘Podiatrist’

Letter to the Editor:

We need a podiatrist in our hospital. With all the toes that get stepped on POLITICALLY in our hospital, we need a professional “foot doctor” to look after these injured stepped on “toes.”

We have “lost” another CEO at our hospital.  Rumors have it that he was not a doctor after all. With all due respect to our wonderful medical doctors, anyone else using the title “doctor” looks “uppity.” I agree with them, in a hospital we expect “doctor” to mean “medical.” However, our now departed CEO was an experienced administrator, if not a full-fledged “doctor” as in PHD.  We have gone through more CEOs then than Italy has gone through governments.

Two weeks ago the St. Thomas newspaper did a several page, including big front page, “story” on our CEO’s claiming he had a suspect PhD. The story was run as if it was one of that newspaper’s criminal reports, as if this was some kind of criminal trial. The St. Thomas paper threw more mud than slides down their hills in a heavy rain storm. Like their streets filled with useless mud, they reveled in our dilemma here on “sleepy” St. Croix. WHY WOULD ST. THOMAS BE SO CONCERNED?  After all, they seldom care about what happens here. I knew as soon as I read the story in their paper what was up. It is an old story, let me explain.

Dear reader, we know our dear sister Island of St. Thomas thinks of itself FIRST, LAST and in all ways.

They do not wish us harm, as long as we keep out of their way. As I mentioned I was over there for a few days two weeks ago, enjoying the SMOOTH roads and fine Palm tree lined public roads. I enjoyed the fine undamaged “guard rails” lining the newly paved streets.  It was a pleasure seeing OUR money so well spent for the public’s good. Except for the heavy traffic and the lack of “good morning” greetings we give each other, it was great. I was disappointed to find that there is NO bookstore on the entire island. Folks there must spend their time watching TV rather than enjoying a good book in a bookstore, as we have on St. Croix, too bad for them.

Sorry I got off track. We were talking about our hospital. After reading the “criminal” approach of their newspaper regarding our CEO, it became very clear it was once again an attempt to get rid of our hospital, so that, as they have proposed in the past, they have “THE” hospital and we have; well something. I know this sounds far-fetched, but WATCH OUT.  In recent years, medical science has progressed to the point where many procedures that in the past required days of hospital stay, now are “outpatient” where you go home that same day. This has allowed more efferent private care facilities to open. We have several here already and they are popular. This has resulted in our hospital becoming a “if you can’t pay” place to go for care. I understand that even the federal government payments for Medicare do not get paid by the Fed because the paper work is incorrect. St. Thomas can see us with a “health care” unit but no expensive hospital. They will be the ONLY hospital and control our health care. I can just see it, our “mash” unit calls St. Thomas to please send over one more roll of toilet paper, for they already used up the roll they sent yesterday.  OK they will send two rolls at a time, they are so good. No one may remember but some years ago Aramark Corp. provided all the food services and the dialysis work in our hospital they were owed $2 million by the hospital and when not paid they left us high and dry. They were paid in St. Thomas and continued on serving there, of course.

Perhaps the Capital Island is doing us a favor, however unintended. As we move more and more services out of our hospital to the private sector, we will see better and better medical care. This is NOT because we do not have the most dedicated people in our hospital; we do indeed have great people there.

NOW LET ME STATE OUR HOSPITAL IS DOING A GOOD JOB, but it can’t and should not be the only option!  They suffer from lack of funds from the Senate seated in St. Thomas. Perhaps as our hospital lets more and more services go private, things here will get better and better. Thank you, St. Thomas, but NO thank you, St. Thomas.      

Bob White, St. Croix

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